Thanks to his Diary, Samuel Pepys has become one of the most fascinating characters of 17th-century Britain. Writing almost daily from 1659–1669, his life encompassed historical and social events of enormous consequence, including the execution of Charles I and the Great Fire of London. This collection of writings from Pepys and his contemporaries—in which the Diary is the central resource—captures the spirit of Restoration London as it grew to become a major center of international commerce and culture, recounting all aspects of life from the arts and entertainment to politics and religion.